By: Lee Davenport, PhD In many parts of the nation, unaffordability is bringing the housing market to a stalemate. As real estate pros, we may not be able to directly alter interest rates (outside of our lobbying efforts) but we can impact how much money people have in their pockets in order to have the financial wherewithal to buy, sell …
Help Your Clients Decide Whether They Should Rent or Buy
By: Alex Capazzolo There’s no easy answer if you have a client trying to decide whether to buy or rent a home. They might feel like renting is throwing money away but think buying is too far out of reach. You might even feel like you don’t have any advice to offer to them since the decision is so personal. …
Finding the Gems Amongst the Naysayers
By Nobu Hata An article recently came across my Twitterstream from Wired.com which, punditry (and ‘Granted, I live in Manhattan…’ caveat) aside, is a pretty good read. Go ahead, it’s a short one, I’ll wait for you right here. (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/11/st_essay_ownership/) Where my and the writer’s opinion splits is that to me, a home DOES have sentimental value. A house is …
The Buy vs. Rent Debate: Why Buying Wins
By Travis Broadwater Even though the federal tax credits have expired, it is still wiser to buy now than rent. Our clients get a tax write off and build appreciation instead of throwing money away each month. Home prices are so affordable today it is a good time to take advantage of the buyer’s market conditions with low interest rates …